Abeldane Empire

Abelden, officially the Abeldane Empire and the Commonwealth[1] or more commonly the Abeldane Empire (German: Abeldanisches Kaiserreich French: Empire abeldanais), is a self-declared independent nation-state (more commonly referred to as a micronation by outsiders) with claims in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Antarctica. The Empire has three capital cities, Pleston, Alexton and East Halyards, which are all located within the state of Alenshka.

The Empire was originally founded as a unitary state, as successor state of the Empire of Militarmia. It’s current federal model was introduced in 2016 following a referendum on the transformation to a federation. The Abeldane federal states have previously been members of the Abeldane Commonwealth before their accession as states following federalization in 2016. The government is mostly based on the former German Empire, and the Empire maintains democratic values and basic micronational ideas to be integrated everywhere. Cultural diversity has a prominent place in the history of Abelden. People from Abelden are known as Abeldanes.

Contents

Etymology

The name came from a list of names that supposedly rhymed with Alenshka, a nation that is now a state within Abelden and considered as one of its predecessors. Alenshka originated from the Russian name of Alexei, which came from Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, the only son of the executed Romanov family.

The official name of Abelden is The Abeldane Empire and the Commonwealth, with the shorter version of the official name, The Abeldane Empire, being more commonly used on government documents. The longer version is used more formally on treaties and official agreements with other micronations and organisations. The government advocates the usage of the shorter name due to the confusion between the demonym, Abeldane, and the shorter name, Abelden. The term The Empire is also often used to refer to Abelden, especially internally.

History

Background

In August 2012, Stephen Freayth established Militarmia, originally a Grand Republic then an empire afterwards, with Kaushik Legata and Donald West. The foundation of Militarmia would eventually lead to several events that will form Abelden in the end. Militarmia was an absolute monarchy and originally was supposed to be a militaristic cultured nation, but soon changed into a more absolute and Westminster style of government and monarchy through the transition.

On 18 August 2013, a year after the foundation of Militarmia, Emperor Stephen abdicated the throne in favour of Kaushik Legata, who took the regnal name of Ausolius. Subsequently, Freayth became the Prime Minister after becoming Emperor and would remain in the position until his own abdication after two months and Freayth would return to the throne and oversee the rest of the Empire. Militarmia briefly became a kingdom for a few days on December 2013 then reverted back to being an empire afterwards.

While a relatively stable nation, Militarmia often rocked into instability particularly on threats of the King to abdicate and in 2014, there were more often changes to the premiership than in 2012 and 2013. Five prime ministers were appointed from the beginning of 2014 until its dissolution. During this period, Militarmia's activity had greatly increased and prominent members or citizens from the Sorrennian Federation started to become involved in the running of the government of Militarmia. Donald West was in particularly a member of the Sorrenian government and had very close ties with Miles Pressland, the then-leader of Sorrenia.

As Emperor Stephen increasingly considered abdicating, the government was becoming a puppet of Sorrenia and therefore this worried the Emperor. Although not considering this, he then surprisingly decided to abdicate finally on April 2014 in favour of Trystan Cline, the Prime Minister, and left the Empire and had given up all administration rights of the Facebook group where business was conducted. Regretting this decision, after a few days abdicating from the throne, Stephen decided to ask Emperor Trystan for the throne once again and handover the rights of the administration back to him but did not result into anything and instead Miles of Pressland was given the administrative powers of the group and technically the rule over the government.

After the decision by the Emperor, Stephen decided to take matter into his own hands and setup a group chat to resolve the matter, which did not result in anything. By this time, there was a turbulent crisis and Miles had decided to take over the government and change the Empire to a democratic republic, which Stephen did not approve.

Afterwards, a compromise was reached with Miles and a new group was created by Stephen that united both Republicans and Monarchists factions. The new nation was to be a kingdom and the Monarch will have little to no power at all, essentially creating a constitutional monarchy, and the Prime Minister having all the power. Stephen became the King, with the former King Trystan the Prime Minister and Miles himself as Deputy Prime Minister.

The original document of the Establishment Document.

Elections for Prime Minister were held afterwards, in which Pressland was elected and Cline was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. Angry with the result, Stephen refused the results of the election and abdicated afterwards on 15 April 2014. Pressland declared Militarmia to be a Democratic Republic following his abdication. The idea for a new micronation had been set by Freayth following his abdication and he established Alenshka on the very same day as an Empire and became its Emperor with citizens mostly from Militarmia.

Foundation

Militarmia had lost most of its activity by June and the foundations for a replacement for Alenshka had begun. Freayth collaborated with Legata on the formation of a new Empire that will replace both Militarmia and Alenshka as his primary micronation. At 1 o'clock in the morning of 6 June 2014 (UTC +4), Freayth draw up in what is known as the Establishment Document, which formally established Abelden and became the Emperor of Abelden. Legata had already set up the new flag of the nation, which remains the flag of the Empire today. A day after the formation of Abelden, Stephen announced the merger of Militarmia and Alenshka under a new single Empire of Militarmia and established the second Militarmian Parliament with West being the Speaker. Those two acts would become the last known interaction in the group of Militarmia and would de facto seal the fate of Militarmia and bringing it to an end after more than 2 years in existence.

After the foundation of Abelden, several or most of the former citizens of Militarmia joined Abelden and were the founding citizens of Abelden. Legamilitarmia, a condominium state between Legatia and Militarmia, was renamed to Legabelden following the establishment of Abelden. Alenshka entered into a personal union with Abelden from the beginning of Abelden's existence until late August 2014, when it was broken off and Alenshka became a nominal independent state.

Three reigns

In late summer of 2014, Stephen abdicated in favor of Rachel. He abdicated in order 'to focus on his studies and spend more of his time on real life activities' and indicated that he wouldn't return to micronationalism unless it was important. Remaining as the founder of Abelden, Stephen retained powers to be used only during coups and wars as prescribed by the constitution and thus Rachel became Empress on 24 September 2014 after signing his abdication document.[3]

There was much inactivity during Rachel's reign. From September till December, there was no activity other than people asking "why are there no activities or posts in the group?". Rachel abdicated in favor of Donald on 16 December 2014 stating her reason for abdicating was that she needed to focus on her studies. Henceforth, Donald became Emperor on 16 December 2014 at 16:13 in the evening.[4]

Donald stated that he would remain as Emperor until Emperor Stephen comes back.[5] The first order of Donald was to appoint a Prime Minister, Andrew Janiszewski.[6] Emperor Donald would reign until 25 December 2014, when Emperor Stephen returned to the throne, taking the same name.[7]

On 27 December 2014, the Kingdom of Darmania was abolished as the nation had descended into deep inactivity. All titles and all governmental positions were abolished with this effective act.

Abelden held its first general elections from 8 January 2015 until 10 January 2015 with the voting held in the group lounge of Abelden.[8]Andrew Janiszewski won the position as Prime Minister, defeating HM King Michael I and the Duke of Pleston. The Emperor also introduced new positions, which were voted on for the first time in this election.

The second general election commenced on 28 February 2015. Duke of Pleston won the majority of positions, but at that time, an individual could only hold a maximum of three positions. Emperor Stephen appointed other citizens to the rest of the positions. The end of the elections saw the start of the 2015 Abeldane crisis.

The 2015 Abeldane crisis was a series of events that happened between 1 March 2015 until 8 March 2015. Newly elected Deputy Prime Minister Michael Thomas Brazeau was criticized for his views about opposing certain liberal ideas. The Prime Minister, Andrew Janiszewski, then started a petition on impeaching the Deputy Prime Minister and Brazeau promptly resigned as Deputy Prime Minister. A series of Prime Ministers were also appointed and the decision making of Emperor Stephen was criticized. Emperor Stephen then stepped down from the throne and enacted Act 6 (Election terms) and 7 (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) as his last decrees. On 8 March, he ended the conflicts and reappointed Andrew Janiszewski as Prime Minister again and abdicated the throne for the second time and the throne passed to Emperor Donald.

The crisis saw an increase, then decrease, in citizenship and loss of interest within the Empire. It was the first time that the reserved powers of the Emperor were ever used. Brazeau and Benjamin Norris were expelled from Abelden following the crisis. The position of Prime Minister was abolished from 4 until 5 March 2015, when the Duke of Pleston, who was the Emperor Donald, became the Prime Minister as well.

Emperor Stephen then became the Emperor of Munkkia from 6 March 2015 until 9 March 2015. The former Emperor stepped down from the throne after realising that he held dual micronational citizenship: Munkkia was exclusively for Munnkians only.

Intermediate period

Stephen I & II was the Emperor of Abelden for a third time between 24 March 2015 and 24 March 2018.

On 24 March 2015, Emperor Stephen became Emperor for the third time following the abdication of Emperor Donald. The third general election was held on 15 July 2015, with all citizens running for election. The general election saw the first use of an online voting system. A group of people were called to vote online as a test from the Imperial Government.[9] On 4 August 2015, the Federal Republic of Demirelia joined as the fourth member of the Commonwealth, but under slightly different provisions than the other three: Demirelia was to continue as a full member of the Commonwealth for two and a half months, after which it would gain full independence.

On 7 August 2015, Emperor Stephen enacted Act 9 (Neutrality), a law that protects Abelden's neutrality in all cases. The act also describes that the Abeldane people may only declare war if the majority of the citizens agreed to do so.

A new Abeldane Constitution was enacted on 5 October 2015 after a referendum was held on the same day, with the majority of voters agreeing to the constitution. The Constitution was officially enacted and promulgated throughout the Empire and the Commonwealth through an Act of the Parliament. Llewelyn Lawton was re-elected as Vorsitzender on 24 December 2015 and Harry, Duke of Johnstown was elected as Stellvertreter for the first time. Emperor Stephen also dissolved the first Reichsversammlung and opened the second Reichsversammlung on the same day to pave way for a new government under Llewelyn Lawton.[10]

On 24 March 2016, Emperor Stephen celebrated his Paper Jubilee, his first year of reign as Emperor of Abelden and Monarchs of the other Commonwealth nations. This was celebrated with a commemorative banknote issued by the Imperial Central Bank and a grant of personal arms by the Instürwappadel. The titles of the Abeldane Monarch were altered and peerages were granted to citizens in commemoration of the occassion.[11]

Federalisation

In June 2016, Emperor Stephen completed perhaps the largest reform in all of Abeldane history, by annexing most of the member states of the Abeldane Commonwealth. A referendum was announced on 26 June 2016 throughout the Empire and the Commonwealth which was to be held on 30 June.[12] The referendum ended with 92.9% in favour of a federal monarchy and 7.1% in favour of retaining a unitary state.[13] He reformed the Empire's structure to be like that of imperial Germany. Abelden's population was greatly expanded and diversified due to this. Notable states include Sinoland and the Kingdom of Morgannwg. New federal monarchs were appointed, while some continued in their respective thrones such as Patrick Renwick as King of Demirelia and Llewelyn Lawton continuing as King of Morgannwg.[14]

That same month, Stephen wrote a twenty-page constitution to replace the former one, due to the large changes in the empire. From late June to early July, Stephen reformed the Reichsversammlung, thus appointing a new Vorsitzender and Stellvertreter, as well as new members of parliament from each state. Emiel Hardy became Vorsitzender, and Isaac Reuel became Stellvertreter.

The Empire oversaw several changes during its federalisation, one of which was the abdication of King Dallin I as King of St. Castle because of his retirement from the micronational community. Emiel Hardy replaced him as King and Nuri van Dijk replaced Ned Gunderson as Grand Prince of Sinoland. [15] The regency, which had begun since September 2015, finally ended on 31 August 2016 and on its replace established the Reichsräte, the Council of State, which composed appointed members to take over the Emperor's state duties while he was away.[16]

During the first 4 months of the federal Empire, Abelden saw 3 federal states, Glaciania, Leganisberg, and Deoter, become part of Alenshka. East Nedland seceded from the Empire on September 2016 after a referendum and request by the Prince Edward I. Abelden oversaw the creation of the Grand Principality of Teodoria as the 13th federal state, headed by Grand Prince Lars. Two more states soon joined the Empire: the Duchy of Raonheim and the Landgraviate of Satirno, thereby making up the present number of states in the Empire.

On 26 October 2016, a referendum about the Monarchy was held which asked voters if they had confidence in the Monarchy and the Emperor. The vote, which was open to registered and non-registered voters, passed easily with a majority of 90.2% in favour of supporting the Monarchy and the Emperor.[17]

Henry Twain, who was elected as Vorsitzender on 27 February 2017 and garnered most of the seats in the Reichsversammlung, formed the first grand coalition in Abeldane history and has been a precedent to successive governments after him. Twain resigned on 29 March 2017 following his elevation as Acting Chair to the Grand Unified Micronational.

From absolutism to democracy

Shiro (right) was elected as Vorsitzender in December 2017.

As the Empire slowly became more active than ever before, there were calls for a more democratic system to be installed, particularly in the way members of the Reichsversammlung were chosen. As Emperor Stephen increasingly appointed MPs that came from Abeldane Social Ecology, a party formed in June 2017, their MPs soon were the largest in the Reichsversammlung and thus the process for having an elected legislature was accelerated due to the efforts of their leader, Newton von Uberquie.

Abelden held its first-ever legislative elections on 20 August 2017, in which the Abeldane Social Ecology won most of the seats and votes. The legislative elections followed the single-transferable voting system and two days after, the Vorsitzender and Stellvertreter elections were held using the same system and in which Newton von Uberquie and Artemis Langford, both from the Abeldane Social Ecology, won the positions respectively.[18] This was the first time since Grant Hawkins wherein both the two highest elected offices in the Empire came from both political parties. Later in the day, von Uberquie formed a coalition government between the Abeldane Social Ecology, the Abeldane National Party and the Independence Party and presented his cabinet appointees to the Emperor.[19]

By December 2017, federal elections were due to occur again. There was a constitutional concern with the Elections Act, changing the voting system to a party list system. However, after a constitutional plebiscite, the elections occurred from the 15th to the 20th of December in 2017. Shiro of the newly formed United Rhinoceros Party was elected Vorsitzender and Patrick Renwick of the newly merged Abeldane National Independence Party (formerly the Abeldane National Party and Abeldane National Independence Party) was elected Stellvertreter. The election was quite controversial, as electoral fraud causing the first result of the executive election returned Newton von Uberquie incorrectly as Vorsitzender. However, this was overturned by the Reichswahlkommission which led to a revote of the Vorsitzender/Stellvertretar race. Investigations into the fraud are still ongoing, and the government has yet to name a suspect, though has confirmed that the suspect is one of the citizens of the Emperor's state of Alenshka. Soon after, on 24 December 2017, the 28th Ministry was announced, comprising of members of ANIP, URP, and NFP (as well as Tarik Karjasari of ASE).

Reign of Nicholas and inactivity

On 10 January 2018, Emperor Stephen decided to go on a long term hiatus from Abelden, and thus Prince Regent Nicholas began leading the micronation on 12 January 2018. Two months later, on 24 March, the third year of his reign, Stephen abdicated the throne, and Nicholas ascended to the throne as Emperor Nicholas.[20] He was acclaimed as Emperor on the same day in the presence of all members of the Reichsversammlung.

Alejandro Whyatt was elected as Vorsitzender in the April 2018 elections but soon after the elections, inactivity had hit its lowest in the Empire since 2015 and the Whyatt Ministry was known for its inability to fulfill its promise during the elections.

In June of 2018, following a period of personal and national inactivity, Emperor Nicholas announced his intention to abdicate in favor of the then-Prince Regent Newton, who was first in line. On 16 June 2018, Newton officially ascended to the throne as Emperor Newton I. Among his first actions were declaring a snap election on June 21st, and appointing the former Emperor Stephen, who had returned to Abeldane politics, Ervecysarich and first in line to the throne.

Reign of Newton

Following the abdication of Emperor Nicholas, Ervecysarich Newton assumed the throne on 16 June 2018 and became the second person after Nicholas to come from a different house other than the three founding houses. One of his first actions as Emperor were declaring a snap federal election on 21 June, and appointing the former Emperor Stephen, who had returned to Abeldane politics, Ervecysarich and first in line to the throne.

Freayth, who ran under the Die Rechte ticket, formerly called the National Federalist Party, won the election for Vorsitzender in a landslide against Artemis Langford, of Abeldane Social Ecology. In the Stellvertreter election, Max Pollack won all of the votes with no opponents during the election. In the Reichsversammlung elections, Die Rechte captured all 4 of the 16 seats up for election, winning in total 10 out of the 16 seats in the Reichvsersammlung, and became the first party to successfully form a single party majority in the Reichsversammlung and using that majority, he also formed the first single party majority government in Abelden and the first one-party government since Donald West.

Several reforms were instituted following the elections and one important reform was the enactment of a new constitution. The constitution, which was prepared by the delegates of the Reichsversammlung and by Anthony Clark, was enacted on September 2018 by the Emperor due to the inability of the Reichsversammlung to convene and all previous laws with the exemption of some were all repealed, including Imperial Decrees. A new law called the Code of Abelden was also enacted by the Emperor on the same day, which set out some new laws for the Empire. The total number of states were also reduced from 10 to 5 and all the affected states were merged into other states.

On August 2018, Abelden became a founding member of the Konmalehth, an organisation whose aim is to promote a close relationship between its members through cultural and economical means. It was also joined by Pacem, a long time ally of Abelden, Legatia and Uberquiesenberg. Other nations like Sabia and Verona and Atovia soon joined.

Tarik Kârjasary of Social Ecology was elected as Vorsitzender and Nicholas Kaos of Die Rechte as Stellvertreter on the last simultaneous election of the executive and the legislative branch of the government.[21] Kârjasary then formed the 33rd ministry in a grand coalition government with Die Rechte and Liberty Front. His ministry saw major changes from 2018 finally implemented such as the term limit and the staggering of elections between the executive and legislative.

Decentralisation

Pavlebach, a city in Alenshka, was formed due to the expansion of the state for more land and residents.

Edward Daniels, former Stellvertrer under the Second Freayth Ministry, was elected Vorsitzender in March 2019 for Liberty Front.[22] His term would go on the beat the record Vorsitzender term, formerly held by Llweyln Lawton, at 366 days. Daniel's executive would become notable for its radical dencentralisation reforms, and a concentration on State Activity. This was marked by the successful politicisation of Morgannwg and Tusmore, and the reoccupation of the defunct Alexander and Rai governments.

The year 2019 was notable for the events of the Behemothgate, in which accusations of espionage lead to the expulsion of several prominent members of the Behemoth Party, and eventually a mass migration away by most of the party members from Abelden. The period also marked the rise of the Party of Royalists and Cooperatism as the second largest party in the empire, and the fall of Abeldane Social Ecology and Liberty Front to minor parties.[23][24] Alongside this, the foundation of six state parties ensured the legacy of a diverse political atmosphere in the Empire.

As states became more active at the expense of the federal government, several states saw a change in their leaderships and governments because of reforms and changes. Alexander saw their long-time Grand Duke Max replaced by Nicholas Randouler after pressure was made to the Emperor by the Reichsregierungskabinett and other concerned citizens.[25] This saw the first change in a state's monarch since the replacement of Anthony Clark as King of Morgannwg by the Emperor with his consort, Empress Sian in January 2019.

Geography

The Abeldane Empire consists of six federal states, the largest of which is the Kingdom of Morgannwg. Before the federalisation of Abelden, all federal states were either independent or were a part of an another independent state before joining, or were created in the Empire. The Kingdom of Alenshka is the permanent seat of the Abeldane Monarchy, and therefore the King of Alenshka is the Emperor of the Abeldane Empire. Originally, Abelden was composed of 15 federal states. Three duchies were annexed to Alenshka on the 10 September 2016.[26] The federal states are divided into 4 kingdoms and 2 grand duchies each ruled by their respective monarchs.

Before the federalisation in 2016, Abelden was divided into administrative regions and each administrative regions were further divided into cities. Administrative regions were headed by a Governor and cities were headed by a Mayor. The administrative regions were named based on their regional location and all administrative regions located in the United States either had the word 'west' in their names.

Abelden's capitals are Pleston and Alexton, both symbolising the two continents where Abelden's claims originated from; Pleston is located in Asia while Alexton is located in North America. Both cities are part of Alenshka and are at the same time the co-capitals of the Kingdom.

Crown Dependencies, which are autonomous territories but federal laws or state laws do not specifically apply to any of the territories unless specially enacted into law by the Reichsversammlung; however they fall under Abeldane sovereignty and the Crown is directly responsible for governing it, through High Commissioners.

Government and politics

Abelden is a federal, parliamentary democracy with a hereditary, constitutional and absolutemonarchy headed by the Emperor of the Abeldane Empire, with the King of Alenshka permanently holding the title and primus inter pares, or first among equals, among the other federal monarchs. The basic laws of the Empire is prescribed in the Constitution. The current constitution was adopted in 2018. The constitution grants the Monarch, known as the Emperor of the Abeldane Empire and King of Alenshka, executive powers. The federal government, officially known as His Imperial and Royal Exalted Majesty's Government or also known as the Imperial Government, consists of ministers in the government and are responsible for the daily governance of the entire Empire through their respective duties as prescribed in the law headed by the Vorsitzender, who is the head of government, and is assisted by the Stellvertreter and various ministers within his Cabinet.[27]

Government

The Monarch is the head of state of the Empire and as such is the head of the Crown, which in turn is the state in all aspects and the legal embodiment of the executive, legislative and judicial governance in the Monarchy. The Monarch has the right to appoint and dismiss ministers or any members of the Imperial Government and is counselled on the matters of state by the Vorsitzender and the Cabinet of Abelden. The Monarch is a semi-constitutional monarch as the Monarch is subjected into the laws of the Empire, but may also do some independent decisions without consent. Constantly, the rule is mostly ignored and the Monarch is more of an absolute Monarch; hence why the presence of the Monarch is important to the activity and health of the Empire.[28]

Under the Crown is the Imperial Government, which maintains the daily governance of the Empire and ensures the well-being of its citizens. In a legal sense, the Crown is the legal embodiment of all the three branches in the Imperial Government and as such the names His Imperial and Royal Exalted Majesty's Government is where it derives from. The Imperial Government is divided into three: the Emperor-in-Council (the executive), the Emperor-in-Parliament (the legislative) and the Emperor-in-Court (the judiciary).

The Reichsregierungskabinett is the main body in the executive that is entirely composed of ministers and secretaries who are appointed by the Monarch or the Vorsitzender. All members are accountable to the Reichsversammlung, where all of the ministers must be a member of and cannot become a member of the cabinet unless he/she is an MP. The cabinet is headed by the Vorsitzender, who is the head of the cabinet.

The Vorsitzender is the head of the government, who is directly elected by the people and/or appointed by the Monarch. The Vorsitzender has virtually the same power as the Monarch and, like the Monarch, everything must be approved by the Reichsversammlung. The Vorsitzender has the power to enact his/her own laws, with a direct approval of the Monarch and the Reichsversammlung and has the power to overturn the declaration of war made by the Monarch. The Stellvertreter acts as the deputy of the Vorsitzender in the event that the Vorsitzender may become incapacitated, lose contact, or resigns. The Stellvertreter, like the Vorsitzender, is also elected by the people and, before 2017, was one of the two directly elected officials in the Imperial Government.

The Reichsversammlung is the legislature of the Empire and acts, at present, as the united unicameral legislatures of all the federal states. Members, who are known formally as Members of the Reichsversammlung or MP/MR, are elected every four months and represents districts, of which there are five districts divided by state, and are elected by single-transferable voting system. Previously, members were appointed by the Monarch and the only way members could gain a seat if a vacancy occurred in one of the seats availavble. Acts passed by the Reichsversammlung are usually done in the name of the Monarch and are known as an Act of the Parliament.[29]

The judiciary of the Empire is divided into two parts: the federal courts and the state courts. The federal courts are subdivided under the Abeldane Code and the highest court, the Reichshöchsgericht, is the court of last resort for administrative law, civil law and criminal law cases in the federal states and the Empire itself. At present, it is headed by Thomas Bainbridge, the Supreme Justice of Abelden, and by the Associate Justices. States have the right to establish their own respective courts and trial their own citizens but the final appeals still go towards the Reichshöchsgericht. Each state may choose to establish their own courts and at present only Alenshka and Alexander fulfills this duty. Otherwise, states which do not have courts rely upon the federal courts to hear cases on their behalf.

Foreign relations

Abelden has maintained a record of creating relations with other nations since its formation in 2014, with the Principality of Lomellina being the first nation to recognise Abelden. The Ministry of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is responsible for maintaining all treaties and agreements signed by the Empire and ensuring that requests from other nations are delivered to the government. The Vorsitzender is the minister responsible and ex officio holds the ministry.

Several nations including Legatia and Andrestan that are under the influence of Abelden are part of the Abeldane Commonwealth, which recognises the Emperor as the head of state. Other nations that Abelden maintains close relations include Pacem and Verus.

It is a member currently of four intermicronational organisations: Konmalehth, of which it was a founding member of, International Agricultural Development Pact, Union Against Micronational War and the Asia-Pacific Alliance. Abelden was admitted to the Grand Unified Micronational on the 24 July 2016 and was previously a provisional member from 10 July until 24 July when it achieved full membership status. It is no longer a member of the Grand Unified Micronational.

Elections and political parties

General elections are usually the core of activity within the Empire as registered voters get to vote. Usually, general elections happen every 6 months, thereby making 2 general elections per year. Previously, general elections were held every 3 months. The longest gap between general elections was the gap between the December 2015 elections and the June 2016 elections, a period of six months, following the official constitutional rule on elections per year.

Federal monarchs

The Abeldane Empire is at present composed of six federal states, each one having their own respective monarch or monarchs as head of state. The heads of the states are collectively referred as Federal Princes or in German as Bundesfürst. The Monarch of Alenshka is the Emperor in perpetuity because Alenshka is the seat of the federal monarchy under the Constitution and therefore the King of Alenshka uses the title Emperor of the Abeldane Empire and King of Alenshka when referred to him in the imperial form. Each federal monarch is distinct in terms of their styles, with some of the two titles currently used being "king" and "grand duke", though in the past the empire has also had monarchs titled "grand prince", "archduke", "duke", "landgrave" or "prince".

The following are the present federal princes or monarchs of the six states of the Empire:

Cabinet

The executive branch of the Empire is exercised by the Privy Council of Abelden under the Constitution. Under the Privy Council, the main body that composes it, the Reichsregierungskabinett, exercises the real executive powers of the government. The Reichsregierungskabinett is composed of the Vorsitzender, the Stellvertreter and other ministers who are appointed by either the Monarch or the Vorsitzender himself. In order to be eligible as a member of the Reichsregierungskabinett, and therefore as a minister, a person has to be a member of the Reichsversammlung and not found of any misconduct by the courts. At present, there are 6 ministers in the Kabinett including the Vorsitzender and Stellvertreter.

Military

The roundel of the Imperial Air Force

Abelden maintains a ceremonial military called the Imperial Armed Forces. It has three branches: the Imperial Army, responsible for protecting the lands of the Empire; the Imperial Navy, responsible for protecting the coastal and sea claims of the Empire; and the Imperial Air Force, responsible for protecting the skies of the Empire.

The federal states are also allowed to maintain military forces in the form of state armies, navies and air forces. At present only the state of Demirelia has a military, the Royal State Forces, divided into the Landvern and the Statsleidang.

There are ongoing interests on reviving the military and turning it into an active organisation. In the past the Empire maintained a base in Bosmansk at the request of the Bosmanian government but its status is currently unknown due to the dissolution of Bosmansk.[31]

Economy

The economy of Abelden can be considered as a mixed economy due to the constant interventions of the government on businesses and at the economy in general. Several businesses in Abelden are also state-owned like Ryksdrucherye but some new businesses are no longer state-owned. There have been several instances when the economy was dissolved or abolished due to the unsatisfactory results it delivered.

States like Alenshka are developing their own economies and it is encouraged by the Imperial and State government to let residents establish their own businesses in order to stimulate and functioning and active economy within the state and the Empire.

Abelden's currency, the Trimole, is the national currency and used by several members of the Commonwealth. The trimole is issued by the Imperial Central Bank, the central bank of the Empire, and responsible for maintaining the interest rates and money supply within the economy. Currently, the Imperial Central Bank is lead by Nick Kaos, the Governor since August 2017.

Demographics

Population

Year

Pop.

±% p.a.

2014

10

—

2015

20

+100.00%

2016

50

+150.00%

2017

105

+110.00%

2018

56

−46.67%

2019

69

+23.21%

2020

75

+8.70%

Source: Statistics Abelden.

Languages

According to the Abeldane Constitution, the official languages recognized are English, German and French. English is the most commonly used language in the Empire and is required to be learned by all citizens. German and French are rarely spoken, but they are used on official government documents. Other official languages used in the federal states are Dutch, Norwegian, and Welsh. Spanish is also used as an official working language in the Reichsversammlung, besides the other official languages. An Abeldane language is currently being developed by citizens and is expected to become an official language in the near future.

Religion

Abelden is a secular state and most states are all secular. Since its foundation, the freedom to exercise religion has been guaranteed and given to the people by the Constitution. Religion plays no part in the government but it plays a minor role in the Monarchy, wherein the Church of Abelden is recognised as the sole and primary institution that can crown the Emperor.

The Church of Abelden is the state organised church that exists within Abelden, and is responsible for the spiritual well-being of its Christian citizens. The Church considers itself as a nondenominational Christian church and is headed by a Patriarch.

Most of the population are adherents to Christianity, with Roman Catholicism compromising the largest group followed by Protestants. There are other minor religions which include Islam, Hinduism and Judaism, of which all do not compromise more than 20% of the population. While half of the population adhere to a religion, 38% of the population are irreligious and it is only behind Christianity in terms of numbers. Since foundation, Christianity has remained the largest religious group in the Empire.

Culture

Abelden derives elements of its culture from Asian, European and American culture. The influence can be seen from the fact that Abelden's federal states are found in 4 continents. In Alenshka, dishes are usually in traditional Arab cuisine and some dishes are influenced from Western cuisine; dressing manner are usually to be done in a conservative manner in some cities and in some in a liberal way. Religion is freely expressed in the Kingdom, but during holy months in the Islamic Calendar, respect must be given for all Muslims in the Kingdom.

The culture is mostly influenced by the federal states in North America, of which it brought influences of liberty, democracy, music, language and more. Western music is widely accepted in the Empire, as are some of the things that citizens usually enjoy doing. Federal states in Europe usually have the same culture as the other federal sates in North America do, although they have their own local traditions and types of cuisine, as well as languages. European languages are mostly dominant in the Empire, with Dutch and German being mostly spoken daily by citizens in the Empire.

Traditions

History is usually a general knowledge within the Empire and most citizens at least know about World War II. A new kind of art culture emerged from the Empire after federalisation begun and is usually known as "Memes." Memes are quite common within the Empire and at least every citizen has created a meme for themselves and has integrated into the usual activities in the Empire and the Imperial Government. The creation of Microball comics has also emerged and is usually very popular amongst the citizens.

Media

Abelden's media is well and richly written. The constitution provides citizens freedom of speech and many other liberties that they may use. The first, and only, newspaper currently existing in Abelden is L'Sydunche, formerly known as The Abeldane Times, and under an Act of the Parliament is the official gazette of the Imperial Government. Other media outlets that occasionally cover news for Abelden besides L'Sydunche, yet are not local, includes Daily Micronational and FLAMN.

Cuisine

Abelden's cuisine and eating habits are influenced mostly by Arab and Philippine cuisine. Alenshkan cuisine is mostly well-known by the use of meat and chicken often in all kinds of food. Alenshkans usually feed on rice with an unlimited assortment of viands, which is a normal way of eating for Asians. In Alexton, vegetables are mostly consumed by citizens and sweet dishes like cakes and pies are also consumed daily. People in Pleston usually go out in malls for traditional Western cuisine or Asian cuisine or mixed and don't usually eat at homes.

Holidays

National holidays in Abelden are of an importance to all. Each federal state has their own respective holidays, but the Empire have holidays that applies to all federal states and not just to one. All holidays are not usually regulated, and may be removed or added with the discretion from the federal government.

On 20 January 2016, Emperor Stephen declared two new holidays in the Empire: the Autism Acceptance Day and the Anxiety and Depression Week. The ADD takes place every 2 April whilst the A&DW takes place every first week of May. The two holidays were dedicated to the Former Empress, who herself has autism and depression. [32]

Name

Date

Remarks

New Year's Day

1 January

The beginning of the year in the Gregorian Calendar.

Autism Acceptance Day

2 April

Day of acceptance for all autistic people and children. Created in honour of the HI&RM the Former Empress.

Dementia Awareness Week

3-9 April

Dedicated to all people who have dementia.

Holy Week

18-20 April

The three important days in the Christendom: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.

References

↑German: Abeldänisches Kaiserreich und dessen CommonwealthFrench: Empire abeldanais et le Commonwealth. The full name is used rarely, only applied on special documents. The prefix The is a part of the full name in English.